Apple recently added video downloads to the iTunes Music Store (iTMS). Apple started selling a small selection of music videos, seven Pixar shorts, three ABC TV shows, and two Disney Channel TV shows. In just about five weeks they have sold over three million videos. This is an amazing number of sales for such a small catalog.

The TV shows were originally only current programs. The new episode minus commercials, being added for purchase the day after it aired on TV. They sell for $1.99 each. The three ABC shows were Lost, Desperate Housewives, and Night Stalker. One ABC show Night Stalker is now cancelled, therefore no more shows are being added to iTMS.

Yesterday, Apple added TV Shows from NBC, USA, and the SciFi network. Some of the new additions to iTMS are vintage shows from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. The question I am asking here, are the new offerings a good value?

The video downloads from the iTMS are 320×240 iPod compatible lower quality versions. Playback on the iPod is excellent. Playback on a TV from the iPod or playback on your computer is OK, but like watching an old VHS tape at best. Standard TV (NTSC) is usually 640x 480 size for a 4:3 aspect ratio.

Apple uses their copy protection technology, FairPlay DRM (Digital Rights Management) on all the video downloads. Apple allows you to “play” the video on up to five computers and do not allow burning of DVDs or VideoCDs. This is a change from the way iTMS uses FairPlay on music downloads. With music downloads they allow playing them on five computers, but do allow you to burn audio CDs. Once you burn an audio CD they can play in any audio CD and can be “ripped” back to iTunes as AAC or MP3 removing the Fairplay DRM. This is definitely, a change in direction for the iTMS.

Before yesterday, the TV shows iTMS offered were current shows allowing you to download and watch them on the new iPod or on your computer without commercials. Most of the vintage TV shows iTMS are now offering are easily available on DVD. The DVD version of course are a much higher quality, also have no commercials, and can be played on any DVD player including an iBook or PowerBook. So what about the price. Is iTMS cheaper than the DVDs?

Let’s take a look at the price of the lower quality, locked-in DRM version that iTMS is offering as compared to Amazon for the same content on DVD.

Alfred Hitchcock presents Season One. I love Alfred Hitchcock. iTunes Music Store charges $54.99.

Now Amazon, for the same content on DVD charges much less, $28.98! iTMS is charging more than the list price of $39.98 for lower quality versions? What happened?

Adam-12 the cop show from the 70’s on iTMS at $36.99.

Amazon charges a bit less for DVDs at $31.99.

Now I do not want you to think that iTMS is more expensive for all the TV shows it offers. Actually they are cheaper for most of them. I will show you more comparisons below.

iTunes $34.99.

Amazon more expensive for DVDs at $38.99.

iTunes $15.99.

Amazon is $19.99 for DVD version.

iTunes $25.87.

Amazon $44.99 for DVD version.

iTunes $25.87 for Monk’s Season One.

DVD from Amazon is $44.99.

iTunes charges $35.99 for the 80’s series Knight Rider’s Season One.

DVDs sell for $39.99 by Amazon.

iTunes sells Dragnet from the 60’s Season One for $27.95.

Amazon $35.99 for DVDs.

iTunes sells Deparate Housewife’s a current shows Season One for $34.99.

Amazon sells it for $38.99 for the DVD version.

iTunes $35.99 for Law and Order Season One.

DVDs from Amazon is $44.99.

iTunes $11.94 for the The Office Season One.

Amazon $18.99 for DVDs.

Shipping
Amazon offers free shipping on orders over a certain threshold. Notice many of these box sets are being offered at “Free Super Saving Shipping” from Amazon. Obviously, using the iTunes Music Store the content is downloaded directly to your computer and there are no shipping costs.

Convienence and Speed
Amazon has a “one click” system making ordering simple. In fact, Apple licenses this from Amazon for the Apple Store online. There will of course be the wait of delivery from Amazon. iTunes Music Store is “one click” also and the download starts. If you have a broadband connection depending on your download speed you will have the content in a pretty reasonable time.

When you download video content from iTMS it comes in a “iPod compatible” format. Just sync your iPod with your computer and you are watching shows. Playing the shows on your computer is also easy, but here is where the lower quality than DVDs really shows. DVDs look much better on bigger screens than any video from the iTMS.

Ripping a DVD for use on the iPod is actually easy. See my iPod Tip #10: DVD Video on Your iPod on how to do just that for Mac users. There are similar methods for Windows users. The downside is time. It will take some of your time to rip the DVDs for use on the iPod. Of course there is also BitTorrent for the techy people. But I am comparing “legal” methods here. Besides BitTorent usually takes quite a bit of time to find and actually download videos.

iTMS offers current TV shows, the night after they are aired on TV. These shows as well as the vintage TV shows now being offered are available without commercials for $1.99 each. This is advantage if you only want one episode. But when looking for an entire season of a show, will see pricing that is closer to the better quality DVD box sets. In a few cases iTMS is actually more expensive.

The real changes in the iTunes Music Store model regarding video downloads, are price and DRM. Since the beginning, the iTunes Music Store was always cheaper than buying a CD from Tower or Amazon for current material and on par with older content. You were also allowed to “burn” audio CDs to play anywhere. When it comes to video downloads this is no longer true.

Not being able to play these videos on anything but an authorized computer (Apple allows five authorized computers at one time) and on an iPod is more restrictive than their music downloads.

So are the TV shows offered on the iTunes Music Store a good value? I guess it depends on your own perspectives. DVDs might be your idea of value. With Blue-Ray DVD and HD DVD coming and HD TV sets dropping in price. You may be re-buying many of your favorite DVDs to get the better quality. So they may not be the “keepers” that many thought they were.

The convienence of a download from iTMS in an iPod compatible format and having all your content instantly on a computer could be valuable also. If Apple allows for an easier solution for getting the content on your TV set or shared inside of your home, that will make the difference for some. Not having all those discs around may be what some what.

Part of what is the driving force behind the networks all ready to offer their content for a paid download at the iTMS is piracy. It is no secret to the networks that BitTorrent has allowed many people to illegally download shows without any compensation to the owners of the content. NBC estimates that there are 430,000 illegal downloads of “Battlestar Galactica” each week.

“It proves there is tremendous interest in it and good people have developed bad habits by illegally downloading it. Now they will have to develop good habits,” NBC Universal President Jeff Zucker told Variety in a recent interview. Expect NBC to find many outlets to offer paid downloads for their content and additional content on iTMS very soon.

TiVo announced last month that as part of its TiVoToGo service it will enable the easy transfer of recorded content to Apple’s iPod and the Sony PSP. EchoStar’s Dish Network introduced the PocketDish (a renamed Archos device) handheld in October, which allows users to download TV and movies to a portable player for free.

So will iTunes Music Store slow people from illegally downloading at these prices, this quality, and with the restrictive DRM they are using? Are TV shows offered on iTMS a good value as compared to DVDs?

What is your take? Please comment.

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